Childrens Illustrated Encyclopedia

70

Beetles

Stag beetle

Stag beetles take their name from

their antlerlike mandibles (jaws).

enlarged mandibles are found only

on the male and are so heavy that the

beetle cannot give a strong bite. the

huge mandibles are mainly for show,

as when males threaten and wrestle

with each other in order to mate

with a female.

WHIRlIgIg beetleS, ClICK beetleS, and deathwatch

beetles belong to the largest group of animals in the

world. Of all the animals known to science, one in

three belongs to the group of insects

called beetles. Many beetles can fly

and have hard, often colorful wing cases.

these wing cases are modified forewings. they

fold over the insect’s back when the beetle is not

in flight, and they protect the wings beneath.

During flight, the front wing cases are usually

raised to allow the main wings to beat. Some

beetles are active predators; the long-legged

tiger beetle, for example, hunts down and eats

smaller insects. Others, such as the Colorado

beetle, eat only plant material. a few beetles

are a nuisance to humans; Colorado beetles destroy potato

crops, and elm bark beetles spread Dutch elm disease,

destroying thousands of elm trees. but many kinds of beetles

help recycle dead leaves, dead animals, and other plant

and animal material. beetles are among only a few

creatures that can break down dead wood.

Dung beetle

Dung beetles are so named because they feed

on, and lay eggs in, animal droppings. the

larvae (grubs) hatch and feed on the

droppings before developing into pupae

(chrysalises). Some dung beetles shape a

lump of dung into a ball and roll it into

their burrow before laying eggs in it.

laDybugS

the bright colors

of ladybugs warn

predators not

to attack them

because they

taste bad. Many

ladybugs feed

on greenfly and

other aphids

that damage

garden plants.

this makes

ladybugs popular

insects with humans.

Tiger beetle Wasp beetle

Some dung beetles are also called

scarab beetles. The ancient

Egyptians

believed they

were sacred.

lIfe CyCle Of a WOOD-bORIng beetle

a beetle starts life as an egg and then hatches into a

larva (grub). the larvae of some beetles, such as the

longhorn, eat wood and make tunnels in wooden

furniture. During its life inside the wood, a larva

changes into a pupa, and then into an adult. as it

leaves the wood, the adult woodborer beetle makes an

exit hole. Old furniture sometimes contains hundreds

of these tiny holes, which are nicknamed woodworm.

glOWWORM

the glowworm is a beetle.

It has organs on the

underside of its tail that

produce a pale green

glowing or flashing light.

the light is used by the

female to attract a mate

or, in some species, a meal.

Male stag

beetles

wrestling

Middle

leg

Front

part of

thorax

Head

Antlerlike

mandibles

Joint

Find out more

animals

flight, animal

Insects

Mountain wildlife

COCKCHafeR

beetle

the cockchafer beetle

is a slow, awkward flier.

It is attracted to light and

often crashes into windows. the larvae,

called white grubs, live in soil, where

they eat the roots of grasses and other

plants. adult cockchafer beetles are

sometimes called May bugs or June bugs.

Finally,

adult

beetle

emerges

from its

Egg hatches into larva. tunnel.

Beetle

lays eggs

in a tunnel

in the wood.

Weevil

Antenna

Extensor muscle

straightens leg.

Two-lined

collops beetle

Front

leg

Flexor muscle

bends leg

at joint.

Rear

leg

US_070_Beetles.indd 70 20/01/16 4:33 pm